CARICOOS-Virgin Islands
Outlook of 2020 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea- June 30th, 2020, by University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab
The maps below show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. In June 2020, the Sargassum amount continued to increase across the central Atlantic. Large amount of Sargassum was observed in the Central West Atlantic (CWA, i.e., the region east of the Lesser Antilles in the maps below), the Central East Atlantic (CEA), and… Read More
Experimental Weekly Sargassum Inundation Report (SIR v1.2) By the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the University of South Florida (USF) – Status: Jun 16-22, 2020
Since 2011, large accumulations of Sargassum is a recurrent problem in the Caribbean Sea, in the Gulf of Mexico and tropical Atlantic. These events can cause significant economic, environmental and public health harm. These experimental Sargassum Inundation Reports (SIR) provide an overview of the risk of sargassum coastal inundation in the Caribbean and Gulf of… Read More
New online tool available to track Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease outbreaks.
The Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD) is a lethal disease that is affecting coral reefs throughout the Caribbean region. Even though it was first discovered in 2014, it was not until several years later that significant outbreaks were documented. In fact, much of the Caribbean coral monitoring efforts in 2019 focused on the SCTLD…. Read More
SARGASSUM SUB-REGIONAL OUTLOOK BULLETIN – MAY 2020 VOL 1
Outlook of 2020 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico* April 30th, 2020, by University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab
The maps below show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. In April 2020, the Sargassum amount continued to increase across the central Atlantic. Large amount of Sargassum was observed in the Central West Atlantic (CWA, i.e., the region east of the Lesser Antilles in the maps below) and the Central East Atlantic (CEA)…. Read More
Outlook of 2020 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico* – March 2020
In March 2020, the Sargassum amount increased significantly across the central Atlantic. Large amount of Sargassum was observed in the Central West Atlantic (CWA, i.e., the region east of the Lesser Antilles in the maps below) and the Central East Atlantic (CEA). Large amount also appeared in most of the eastern Caribbean (up to 67oW… Read More
Coral Disease continues spreading across St. Thomas Reefs
Special contribution from Sonora Meiling,sonora.meiling@students.uvi.edu A deadly coral disease, identified on the coral reefs of St. Thomas in January 2019, continues to spread across the island. First seen at Flat Cay, just south of the St. Thomas airport, what researchers at the University of the Virgin Islands believe to be stony coral tissue loss disease… Read More
Outlook of 2020 Sargassum blooms in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico* February 29th, 2020, by University of South Florida Optical Oceanography Lab
The maps below show Sargassum abundance, with warm colors representing high abundance. In February 2020, the Sargassum amount continued to increase across the central Atlantic. Although the bloom magnitude is still lower than in some previous bloom years (2015, 2018, 2019), it is higher than in other years, and considerable amount of Sargassum is observed… Read More
US Caribbean Partners Meeting with the NOAA Office for Coastal Management and NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team
St. Croix, VI, was the venue for a partners meeting in late June with NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (OCM, SE & Caribbean Team) and NOAA’s Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART). This was the first time either group had met in the USVI and provided a long overdue opportunity to meet with and… Read More
